EDMONTON—Indigenous workers in the energy industry experience many of the same stresses as other oil and gas workers, but a strong connection to extended family has helped mitigate the impact on communities, a new report reveals.

Angele Alook is the lead author behind the report, Indigenous Gendered Experiences of Work in an Oil-Dependent, Rural Alberta Community, which was released by the University of Alberta’s Parkland Institute on Thursday.

Alook said she pursued the project because while there’s significant research on the educational and training barriers Indigenous peoples face in entering the energy industry, there is a knowledge gap on the impacts working in the industry has on families, communities and gender relations.